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An American private eye finds himself caught up in a shadowy international conspiracy involving secret societies, a present-day plague, a massive cover-up, and the coming of the end times. A work of modern horror

In The Suffering of the Hens, a previously unknown biological threat is released from an artificial intelligence laboratory in the Czech Republic, causing a growing epidemic that soon threatens to spiral out of control.

Conditions rapidly deteriorate, in spite of stringent, even drastic WHO quarantine measures – measures which seem to be causing as much damage as they avert.

As a series of inexplicable coincidences forces a small investigative team up against the walls of a worldwide media blackout, a capable modern-day private eye must face a quickly worsening situation on the ground – where a steadily increasing number of the virulent plague's victims seem unable to rest easy.

Nick Oefinger has worked alternately in business management, sales, and newspaper editing. His most recent professional foray was into the strange and marvelous realm of copy writing, which he assures us is simply beyond exciting. The Suffering of the Hens is his first novel, though planned as part of a series exploring a variety of deep themes, which he feels are only adequately served through the medium of science fiction. When not engaged in writing, Nick enjoys historical re-enactment, modern movies, a wide variety of music, amateur astronomy, and video games.

None of this should be happening.

Stray thoughts were bullying their way abruptly to the front of Ancika's mind, only to be quickly dismissed as unhelpful – but that didn't stop them from forcefully trying to break through the woman's focused concentration. The young researcher's breath came in short gasps, staggered and disrupted by the steady impact of her bare feet on the cold ground. The paved surface of the industrial complex's parking lot was badly in need of attention, and was cracked and uneven in places; more than once, Ancika had stumbled, twisting an ankle in an unexpected depression. Twice, she had struck one foot or the other against a chunk of dislodged pavement, either time with bone-jarring force. From there she could only limp onward until recovering sufficiently from the pain to start running again. This she did, either time, while digging the fingernails of one hand into the skin around her mouth. The added effort was necessary to help hold it shut, against the screams that threatened to tear itself free from her lips.

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Friday, 8 April 2016

A world-spanning conspiracy. Drama, intrigue, suspense... and zombies. But don't let that fool you. There's a lot more to The Suffering of the Hens than the walking dead. Ancient prophesies, a doomsday cult, and corruption within the WHO and the UN figure prominently, as one lost private investigator tries to make sense of it all. David Ryans has a lot on his plate; to find out more about him, pledge…